Pagan pride comes to Tulsa

TULSA- This weekend I attended my first Pagan Pride Festival in Tulsa. I, along with my mother and stepfather, am Wiccan/Pagan and they accompanied me to the festival. I was subtly raised to follow the ‘old religion’ by my mom with the belief of ghosts and magic instilled in me from a very early age.

Paganism is a polytheistic Pre-Christian belief system based around nature worship. Wicca is a more modern offshoot of Paganism. With it, rituals are more heavily used rather than in Paganism. Wicca is witchcraft and thus anyone of any faith can practice witchcraft. Both religions strive for peace and balance in the world free of negativity.

I was a little worried that there would be some rogue non-believers who would try to ‘save us’ and ruin our fun. However, in the considerable amount of time I was there, it was nothing but peace and joy. A group of from the Christian Bikers Association was stationed outside to keep the peace if needed and handed out free and cold bottled water liberally. From what I saw, they all sat together, conversing with the merchants, performers and attendees in artisan crafted skull-shaped chairs, laughing heartily and making sure everyone was hydrated.

Inside the energy was joyful and animated. People from all walks of life joined together and there were many reunions of friends from the small Tulsa Pagan community. Everyone buzzed like bees to the merchant booths.

I’ve had my fortunes read a time or two, including once in New Orleans, but I’ve never had a crystal ball reading. Annie from Spirits Whisper Sanctuary read me and she was quite accurate, picking up on something as so obscure as a sign that hangs in my laundry room. She knew what the sign said exactly. My parents followed suit and she picked up on their future goals.

Afterwards, I blew my disposable cash on artisan crafts from Jezzy’s Treasures, the Sheriff of Steampunk, Ozark Oddities, All Spiritualist Paths and the Fandom Menace. Everything I purchased is made of quality material and one of a kind for a fair price. The crafts for sale ranged from soaps and jewelry to paintings and décor.

The event was child and family-friendly with crafts and story time and all ages took part in getting their faces painted by award-winning makeup artist Melissa Kohl Eubanks. It was charming to see elders with as colorful face paint as the young ones.

To draw the event to close, there was ritual outside under a tree. The ritual was to give thanks to our goddesses and gods for a productive and happy day. A monarch butterfly flew around us as to say that our deities were listening and that we were welcome.

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